


Second Thought

by xanzpet (gleefulmusings)



Series: Facets [5]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-02
Updated: 2013-04-02
Packaged: 2017-12-07 05:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/745043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefulmusings/pseuds/xanzpet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The events in Buffy's backyard unfold differently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Thought

Anya was completing a sale when it happened.

She wasn’t sure just what _had_ happened, other than that it was terrible and she needed to leave, which was why she didn’t hesitate teleporting or give a second thought to the poor woman before her, whose eyes had glazed as she began slipping toward the floor.  
  
When she arrived, she knew it was too late, that there was nothing she could do other than to kill the one responsible before he could wreak more havoc. After crushing Warren’s trachea with her hand, she threw his corpse several yards and didn’t give it a second thought.  
  
Buffy was kneeling on the ground, chest covered only in a bra, having torn off her shirt for use as a makeshift tourniquet, her torso slick with blood so thin and red it looked like cranberry juice. Anya tossed the Slayer aside as if the girl was nothing more than a discarded newspaper, she didn’t give Buffy or her screaming tears or her self-condemnations a second thought.  
  
And as she lay beside him, twining her fingers with his, she didn’t give a second thought to Willow or Tara as they came tearing out of the house as if Cerberus was on their heels. She didn’t give it a second thought as the redhead tried to summon Osiris, only for Tara to bind her lover’s magic temporarily. She didn’t give a second thought to the curious neighbors who were swirling around the fence like buzzing gnats. She didn’t give a second thought to the droning wail of the ambulance edging toward them.   
  
She didn’t give a second thought about pressing her lips to his even as he was coughing up blood like it was water. She didn’t give a second thought to her tears splashing onto his cheeks and turning the blood pink. She didn’t give a second thought as he whispered her name, because there was nothing he could tell her now that she didn’t already know. She didn’t give it a second thought when his eyes fixed.  
  
She didn’t give it a second thought when the paramedics pried her off his body. She didn’t give it a second thought as someone wrapped a blanket around her and shoved a paper cup full of steaming something into her hand. She didn’t give it a second thought when the steam burned her fingers or when she swallowed half of it and vomited. She didn’t give a second thought to the howls of Buffy and Willow, or Tara’s quiet tears, or the sudden appearance of Dawn. She didn’t give a second thought to holding the girl who had thrown herself into her arms. She didn’t give it a second thought when they took his away his body.  
  
She didn’t give a second thought about leaving his friends and teleporting back to the Magic Box. She didn’t give a second thought to shooing out all of the customers who had appeared during her absence, who were now staring at her blood-soaked dress. She didn’t give a second thought as she locked the door and flipped the sign to ‘Closed’. She didn’t give it a second thought when she picked up the phone and dialed Giles’ number from memory. She didn’t give him a second thought after relaying the information, advising him to call Buffy.  
  
She didn’t give anything a second thought as she closed out the register and tallied the day’s receipts before entering them into the ledger. She didn’t give anything a second thought as she set about tidying up the store and turning off the lights.   
  
She didn’t give it a second thought as she teleported to his apartment. She didn’t give a second thought to its disarray, to the dishes gathered in the sink and the dirty laundry strewn throughout what had once been her home. She didn’t give anything a second thought as she proceeded to scour the place clean until her hands were raw and bloody.  
  
She didn’t give a second thought about stripping out of her dress and stepping into his shower, about using his soap and his shampoo, or that she would smell like him for days. She didn’t give his blood a second thought as the water sluiced it from her body and it swirled down the drain. She toweled herself off and wandered naked into his bedroom and began rummaging through his bureau, not giving his privacy a second thought, because he was dead now. She didn’t give it a second thought upon discovering some of her old clothes in the bottom drawer. She didn’t give a second thought to ignoring all of the trinkets of their life together which had been hidden beneath them. She didn’t give a second thought to putting on the clothes.   
  
And when she spied her engagement ring still in its velvet box on top of his night stand, she didn’t give a second thought to slipping it on her finger.  
  
She opened the closet and found her half still empty, save for her wedding dress in its transparent garment bag, and gave neither a second’s thought. She didn’t give a second thought as she pulled out his best suit and set about finding a matching shirt and tie. She didn’t give a second thought to polishing his only pair of dress shoes. She didn’t give a second thought as she put the ensemble into a plastic bag and set off to the mortician Buffy had employed for Joyce. She didn’t give a second thought to knocking on the door of the superintendent of the building and advising him that she would be back later to clear out the apartment, as its occupant was now deceased. She didn’t give a second thought to his useless platitudes.  
  
She didn’t give a second thought as she picked out the plot and the coffin and the tombstone or when she handed over her credit card to pay for them. She didn’t give a second thought as she called the local newspaper and dictated his obituary, and the time and date of the service.  
  
She called his boss and, after breaking the news, she hung up, not giving a second thought to his stunned silence. She then dialed his worthless parents and informed them of what had happened, and when his mother screamed in horror, she smirked and didn’t give them a second thought. She didn’t give a second thought to calling Angel in Los Angeles and asking for Cordelia, only to listen as he told her the woman was in a coma. Anya hung up and gave neither of them a second thought.  
  
She didn’t give anything a second thought as she teleported back to her apartment and began packing her things. She didn’t give a second thought as she opened her lockbox, withdrew the papers, and signed the shop over to Tara. She didn’t give a second thought as to where she would go or what she would do once he had been put into the ground, but it didn’t matter; there was nothing left for her here anymore.  
  
All she had to do was not think.


End file.
